The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Grifols announced the signing of a new loan agreement for EUR 85 million to advance the firm’s research, development and innovation (RDI) efforts to discover new therapeutic uses for plasma proteins in the treatment of rare and chronic diseases.
The agreement, signed in Barcelona by EIB Vice-President Emma Navarro and Grifols’ co-CEOs Raimon Grífols Roura and Víctor Grífols Deu, is backed by the Investment Plan for Europe, the Juncker Plan.
The loan will support research initiatives that enhance the health and well-being of patients by providing the financial resources necessary to spur innovation in the medical research field in Spain as well as in the rest of the European Union. The agreement will also boost bio-scientific research in the universities, hospitals and research centers that collaborate with Grifols.
The EIB loan represents the third one provided to Grifols under the Umbrella Plan. In 2015, Grifols was among the first European companies to obtain funding from the Juncker Plan, receiving additional funding at the end of 2017. The Juncker Plan increases the EIB’s ability to finance investment projects toward initiatives that, due to their nature or structure, boost the innovation and competitiveness of companies operating in the EU.
“The economic and social impact of an agreement that will benefit European citizens by supporting research aimed at finding new treatments for chronic diseases. This loan also underscores the EU bank’s solid commitment to providing the necessary resources to support innovation, an essential driver to gain competitiveness and create high-quality employment,” said EIB Vice-President Emma Navarro.
Original source: EIB
Published on 7 September 2018
